Getting money to authors

[Paul_C]

I've been re-thinking my approach to book buying a little in recent weeks, in part because a large number of people who I like to follow on Twitter are SF writers.

The current crisis, with some of the lesser-known writers being in greater need of sales financially, made me think about my choices in regard to how much a writer might get paid.

So those of you with actual experience of earning money from book sales, is there a difference in how much you get paid per book, whether it's a hardback, paperback or ebook?

Do you get more if I buy direct from a publisher over say, Amazon, or does it make no difference?

If there's a limited time offer on a book of 99p or similar, does that mean you get very little ?

I see authors promoting these deals, and always wonder whether they do so purely because more sales means more chance of appearing on a list somewhere that will boost sales enough that the cheap sales mean more money in the long run.

I have in the past picked up free ebooks that I end up valuing less as a consequence (although they can be handy for trying out an author I've never heard of), and while it does bite you on the bum occasionally (buying the hardback of Dead Astronauts proved a disappointment, but maybe a second reading might help there) I feel like the time has come to invest a bit more in my love of a good book, partly in the hope that it'll help me stop buying guitar pedals (which are WAY more expensive) and if I can help the writer as a consequence, I'd like to do so, as they're something I take a lot of enjoyment from.

 

[Overread]

Sales are complex but typically a sale means less money going through the system so the author gets less. The trade-off is that they might discount book 1 of a series of books. This generates more sales from people "on the fence" who didn't want to commit to the full price on a new series/author. However once read into the first book they then buy the following parts of the series. Basically you take a loss to generate more sales on one product so that you generate more sales on other connected products.

Sometimes it is also purely about getting your name out there more so. Although these strategies work best when you've got other material out there already. A first time author with one book going on a steep discount might make lots of small sales; but there's nothing out there right now to maximise the new fanbase. In a few months time when they do get something out they've already lost the attention of lots of the casual fans who have moved on.



I know some companies will back-up a sale period (normally when the host company encourages the sale); however I've typically only seen that when the host company itself is using the sale for their own benefit to drum up their own customerbase for their service. Epic Game Stores have done this where they've given discounts on games, but paid the difference to the developer. The idea being that the sale generates more sales and users for Epic and their core interest is more accounts signed up because once you're in their system they can profit off latter sales of products.






In general a sale has to have some element that is going to benefit the author by running a discount. This might be increased volume of sales so you make less per item but more overall; or its about increasing your aware consumer base to encourage further product purchasing.


As for the most profit if you talk about ebooks then buying direct from an authors website (for example) will net them more than off Amazon because with stores like Amazon, the storefront is taking a cut of the sales. Of course Amazon should, in theory, help facilitate bigger sales numbers overall so that's the trade-off.

 

[ginny]

For traditionally published authors: just buy from a reputable bookseller and they pretty much get the amount that is set in their contract.

For Self-pub-s it's a bit more complicated.

In ebooksI'm approximating as I'm too lazy to look just now)
anywhere between .99-2.99 They get a set percentage from amazon.
3.99 to 9.99 they get a higher set percentage. This is the sweet-spot.(maybe 70%)
Anything higher might cause the percentage to go down a bit as the price gets larger.

Paper editions:
The author can set the price based on a base amount depending on how much money they want to make; with a max so it doesn't get too ridiculous even though the max is ridiculous.

For instance in one case I have one that is 9.99 and I make less than a dollar--this is because I rarely sell those so I try to keep the price as low as possible to entice someone to buy. At some future time I might re-evaluate that if there is more interest.

In another case the price is 9.99 and I make $1.20 --difference in page count.

If and when the seller(amazon) puts these on sale they still give me the amount already determined; however if I or some other agency put a very low price on them and advertised, amazon could conceivably reduce the price and reduce my cut.(That's in the contract with amazon)

Buying from a used book seller will likely give the author nothing--beyond a new reader.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I get very slightly more for a paperback sale on amazon than an ebook

Buying hard stock direct from me is best - I price a retail margin into my pricing so even if I do a deal with you I get more

If I’m at 99p for a short time I’ll be doing okay on royalties.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Probably the best way to help any author is to review what you've read. Even a negative review is welcome - unless it's trolling.

Seriously, the more reviews - regardless of rating - that an author has online, the more visibility they get. And, in theory, that should translate into a cumulative increase in sales over the long-term.

That's why I review everything I read, both on Amazon and Goodreads. The only books I don't review are the ones I put down without finishing.

Additionally, a review doesn't have to provide a synopsis or analysis of the book - a single sentence is absolutely perfectly welcome. I think a lot of people don't realize that.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Additionally, a review doesn't have to provide a synopsis or analysis of the book - a single sentence is absolutely perfectly welcome. I think a lot of people don't realize that.

You're right, I didn't.
I never leave a review. I find it generally hard and time consuming to write a decent analysis that does justice to the author's work. And, being a humble guy, I assume nobody really cares what my opinion is, as long as I put his/her books in my shopping cart.
However, if just a simple suffice... I can do that.

 

[.matthew.]

That's why I review everything I read, both on Amazon and Goodreads. The only books I don't review are the ones I put down without finishing.

I'll rate them but only review if I have something different to say than the hundreds of people who turn even Goodreads into a social media

And, being a humble guy, I assume nobody really cares what my opinion is, as long as I put his/her books in my shopping cart.

Yea, I get that, but if I factor in my above sentence it's like "who cares that I agree with all these other people?"

 

[Elckerlyc]

Yea, I get that, but if I factor in my above sentence it's like "who cares that I agree with all these other people?"

I wouldn't know if I agree with other reviewers or not, because I don't read their reviews (anymore.) On occasion I find it helpful to see why someone didn't like a book, but most of the time their reasons to give only 1 or 2 stars is mind boggling silly, like "I didn't like the color of the cover."

 

[Overread]

I have to say that when I see a "new author" and one I've not had recommended to me by others then a volume of reviews does have an effect. If I see only a handful of reviews I assume they are friends/family so might be heavily bias; meanwhile if they can get a lowly 50 or 100 reviews then I'm much more likely to take the aggregate opinion more seriously.

So yes reviews do matter. I think they simply act as a very base means to separate books when there's not really much else to separate them on. However I also know that many niche titles can end up with very low numbers of reviews - eg the Gotrek and Felix series generally seems to average only around 30-40 reviews per book with a few managing to reach into the lofty 150 reviews.

 

[.matthew.]

However, on Goodreads you don't need to review it, a simple rating is visible to everyone.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

What I am doing right now is issuing reprints of books that were published, sold reasonably well, and then went out of print years before Amazon or Goodreads even existed. As a result, there were only a few online reviews for these books, mostly by people who picked them up second hand in the intervening years. Now the books have been reissued in digital form, reviews by those who bought the new editions would be particularly welcome, but it is so embarrassing to ask for reviews. Strangely, when I was briefly working as an editor for a small press, I had no shame at all asking people for reviews of books by my authors, but when it is asking for myself it feels very different. Self-publishing offers many benefits to writers, but it is not for the weak of heart!

 

[.matthew.]

@Teresa Edgerton Maybe just add that explanation in the preface or whatever? Might get people who read it to be more likely to review without directly asking.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Lots of authors put it in a plea for reviews at the ends of their books, figuring, I guess, that if the reader got that far they must have liked the book. It is a reasonable assumption. It is a reasonable thing to do. Yet I cringe at the thought of doing it. Stupid, I know.

 

[.matthew.]

No, I get it, feels like pleading. If it's a business decision though you get a pass.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Well, I pulled up my socks and wrote something on Facebook. I shall now spend the rest of the day blushing whenever I think about it, but at least I did it. Whether it accomplishes anything we will have to wait and see.

No, I get it, feels like pleading. If it's a business decision though you get a pass.

Exactly. That is exactly the difference. And even though some would argue (and rightly so) that it is a business decision either way, it doesn't feel the same.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

The best way for people buy my novels is online, via Amazon, Apple, B&N, and all the other usual retailers.
I also find it difficult to ask people to review my work, even after I know they've read it and really enjoyed it. But, then again, I am British. :/
So:-
Have you read one of my novels? Perhaps the WW1 fantasy Tommy Catkins, or maybe the very well received Factory Girl trilogy; or perhaps you tried my greenpunk debut Memory Seed, or surreal steampunk fantasy Hairy London, or maybe my most recently published work Woodland Revolution. If so, please review it! As @Brian G Turner said, reviews are critical for authors. I've been published for almost a quarter of a century now, and have had my share of clunkers. But whether you liked my novel or not, please review it - on Amazon, Goodreads, or here at the mighty Chrons.
There, guys! It was easy!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I’m a rotten reviewer. But I’m an ace word of mouther. Which, for me, is the more effective anyhow

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Have you read one of my novels? Perhaps the WW1 fantasy Tommy Catkins, or maybe the very well received Factory Girl trilogy; or perhaps you tried my greenpunk debut Memory Seed, or surreal steampunk fantasy Hairy London, or maybe my most recently published work Woodland Revolution. If so, please review it! As @Brian G Turner said, reviews are critical for authors. I've been published for almost a quarter of a century now, and have had my share of clunkers. But whether you liked my novel or not, please review it - on Amazon, Goodreads, or here at the mighty Chrons.

Very nicely put.

 

[Gandalfer]

I am a pragmatist when it comes to writers. If I like a book or an author I will recommend it to others, plain and simple. I couldn't care less if the guy is the son of a rich family or if she was a poor abused divorced mother and she is now the richest woman in UK. If the book is good I will recommend it to others so that they can also enjoy it regardless of the financial situation of the author. By the way... go read Pierce Brown and J. K. Rowling